Fire

Their journey proceeded without any unwanted disturbances. Only the weather gave them a hard fight. On the fourth night of their trip, winter came with all its might upon them, bringing merciless cold along. Admittedly, there was barely any snow and they didn't get stuck. But even as vampires, being less sensitive for temperatures, the bitter cold nipped at them uncomfortably. The three vampires took the reins in turns of, at longest, one hour shifts, since the ice-cold airstream afflicted them harshly.

Whenever Alfred was inside the coach, he read May's book to the other two. All of them had been taken in by the story at once. So it also happened that Herbert or Breda kept on reading when it was Alfred's turn on the box.

Repeatedly, they were badgered by highwaymen. They used these occasions to stretch their muscles a bit, regain some movement. Sometimes they felt like they could drink not one more drop of blood (but they always found an empty spot in their bellies, nevertheless).

While Alfred had been shocked by his behavior during his first hunt, Herbert's explanations had eliminated his qualms. He always was the last to play around with his prey and Herbert encouraged him, shouting him useful tips, showing him by this that his behavior was completely normal for a young vampire.

And since all had gone that well, they arrived in Kronstadt quiet early on the 17th night of their journey. If they kept on driving, they would reach the castle on the next night, around midnight.

"Will we call in with Robert?" Herbert asked his father, who steered the horses through the narrow streets of the town.

"Yes. I at least have to thank him for the help he provided for you two, getting you to Vienna. Moreover, I still owe him money for that," Breda answered.

Herbert nodded – he knew how much his father hated to be in someone's debt.

"I think we'll stay with Robert for the rest of the night and the day. If we ride off tomorrow evening by horse only, we'll reach the castle in the morning. I think we all deserve a little rest now," the count added.

Alfred and Herbert both took a deep breath. It would be good to have little break from the coach that they didn't have to spend with rest. Whenever they had arrived at their shelters for the day, it had been early in the morning, leaving them no time for anything.

Alfred felt a certain tension rise. The few minutes they had had for themselves they had always savored. Herbert's tender touches and kisses had stirred a longing in Alfred that he had never known before. He supposed that by now Herbert wasn't the only one wishing for a bit more time in the morning. And he was quite certain that Herbert wouldn't miss this opportunity tonight.

Whenever Alfred tried to imagine what could happen, he felt true anticipation. He knew quite well how it had to work physically and he could imagine that it might hurt. But he had always been able to take pain quite well. And up to now, all Herbert had done to and with him had pleased him.

Being so much in thought, Alfred only recognized the familiar patio when Breda had already halted the horses. They had arrived at Robert's mansion. Alfred remembered the first and last time he had been here, only a few weeks ago. He had come a long way since that night. He felt more like an independent person now than he had back then. A person with emotions and a will of their own – even if it was still hard for him.

Whenever they had been quiet during the ride, not reading the book, Herbert and he had played a silent game. At the beginning, Alfred had surreptitiously picked one of Herbert's emotions that consistently flooded him in bulk via their blood-connection, trying to remember and name it. He was quite sure that Herbert had soon discovered these efforts, for now the emotion he picked seemed to become stronger, such better to tell apart from the others, while Herbert smiled knowingly. At the end of their journey he had succeeded from time to time to create the chosen emotion himself – it demanded great effort of will and seemed to drain him from power, but it was a success nevertheless. His self seemed to slowly remember how to feel. But it still would be a long way until he would be able to feel as unconsciously and effortlessly as Herbert.

But for now he followed Herbert out of the coach, bracing against the cold that began to bite into him at once. A stable-boy, well wrapped in thick clothes, cared for the horses and a servant waited, shivering, by the door to show them inside.

The servant took a deep bow before the count. "Your Excellency, it's a pleasure to welcome you into this house, as always. If you would please follow me into the parlor? My Lord and his wife are there."

Breda nodded and followed the servant, bringing Herbert and Alfred along with him. The servant knocked on the door and opened it, when someone called "Come in" from the inside.

"His Excellency, Count von Krolock, his son and a companion are here, milord," the servant announced.

"His Excellency?" The voice sounded most pleased. "Well, well, let them in."

The servant stepped aside and let the gentlemen enter. They went into the parlor, Alfred already knew from their first visit. But he had never before seen the lady sitting at Robert's side in an armchair by the fire. The bald vampire had risen from his seat and went toward Breda with widespread arms. His wife, as Alfred supposed, laid aside her knitting and rose too, but kept in the background.

"Your Excellency! What a joy to see you again, whole and healthy. I have been most worried after Herbert's last visit. I am greatly relieved that he was able to free you."

"Only with your help, Robert. If you hadn't arranged and paid for Herbert and Alfred's passage to Vienna, their help would probably have come too late," Breda answered and took Robert's outstretched hand. "Lady Sisia," he added with a nod toward the woman, who made a curtsy when addressed.

"Why, certainly!" Robert merely said. "I'm just glad that it helped. Greetings to you, too, Herbert," he added. On their first visit Alfred hadn't minded Robert's ignorance toward him, now he felt silent anger rise inside him to be overlooked again so consequently – Baptiste always had acknowledged him and in his eyes, the Viennese was superior to Robert.

Robert offered them seats and wanted to know everything that had happened. Breda told the story in short words.

"May I ask for your hospitality and two rooms? We'd like to spend rest here then and ride on to the castle tomorrow."

Robert nodded and his mustache quivered. "Of course, of course, not a problem at all. But, Your Excellency, be cautious. It might be better to not arrive at the castle at morning."

"Why?" Breda asked, not able to leave concern out of his voice.

"Well – it's nothing. But it's my duty to warn you nevertheless, as a friend. When Herbert was here to ask for help he had also written a letter, which one of my servants brought to the castle. When he came back he reported me of a great turmoil in the castle. Your administrator, this Ottoman..."

"Kadir," Breda helped, while he saw his fears were confirmed already.

"Exactly. He seemed – to behave specialy. There were some remarks toward my servant, which made him think... Well, as I said, it doesn't necessarily mean something. But you should be prepared nevertheless."

"Thank you, Robert, I will be. If I ever saw a potential rival among my vampires for my claim of power, it would have been Kadir. It is possible that my sudden absence led to his decision to finally reach out for my crown." He turned around to Herbert. "What was written in the letter?"

"A made-up explanation of why we had to leave the castle and postpone the ball that suddenly. Also -," Herbert paused, while the raised eyebrows of his father told him that this was the time to make a new confession. "Also the permission to hunt three men from the villages, as amends for the ball." Herbert's voice had gone more silent by the word.

"That was my idea," Alfred said at once in a loud and clear voice. "I supposed a gift like this would distract them from the missed drop of blood during the ball."

Breda nodded and chuckled inwardly about Alfred's defense of Herbert. Another time he congratulated himself for choosing to bring Alfred along to his son. Who knew? Maybe his best gift for Herbert ever.

"Yes, that should have been a good device to calm them down. But Kadir – if he really set his mind on fighting me, having brooded over it for a while now..."

"Well, maybe he'll be surprised by your return. He might not expect you," Robert added hopefully.

But Breda merely shook his head. "I already sent a letter from Vienna, informing him about the date of my departure there. So he'll know when I'll be back soonest and he'll be expecting me. But do not worry – Kadir is no match for me."

The count's voice was firm and confident, but Alfred felt unrest nevertheless. His lord was threatened? By one of their own clan? Well, as long as he could throw himself between the count and this Ottoman, he would do exactly this.

He felt a hand on his arm and felt Herbert's presence. "Robert, we're really tired from the journey. I hope you don't mind us retreating, though it's still quite early?"

"But no, Herbert, I don't mind. You know where the guest-rooms are, so simply take the one you always use when being in Kronstadt," Robert smiled.

Herbert rose and Alfred followed suit. "I wish you all a good rest, Robert, Sisia, Father," he said before leaving the room, dragging Alfred with him.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Silently, Herbert led Alfred to said guest-room. The room was brightly lit, for the moon shone in through the window. It was bitter-cold though, since it apparently had been out of use for quite a while. Alfred went to the fireplace at once, piling wood up.

"Should there be a fight between Father and Kadir, you mustn't intervene," Herbert explained, sitting down on the edge of the bed, watching Alfred intently.

Green eyes sparkled at him rebelliously. "Why not?" Alfred asked, quite aggressively.

Herbert sighed. "Because this is the law. Every vampire has the right to fight with his master for the power. It's a vampire against vampire fight, no third person allowed. There aren't many prevailing laws among vampires, but this is one of the highest rated."

"But I couldn't. How could I stand aside, watching someone trying to destroy His Excellency?"

Herbert looked at him with a sad face. "How often, do you think, I had to watch this? There will always be one or the other vampire challenging my father. It's always hard for me, but in the meantime I can stand the fear. Probably because I have seen Father win all those fights effortlessly up to now. But I can't stop worrying. What if this time it's different? But I couldn't change it either way."

Alfred looked away to ignite the kindling that he had piled up over big chunks of wood. Afterward, he sat down beside Herbert. The flames licked over the brushwood, consuming it, while slowly some tongues of flame slunk onto the bigger pieces. Herbert slung an arm around his shoulders.

"When you intervened in Vienna, keeping Father from being stabbed by that knife, you had shown him a big service. Father will never forget something like that. But in the case of a duel – not only would you damage his reputation, you would insult him. It wouldn't be a favor and Father would be quite angry with you."

The fire flickered now merrily and Alfred gave up his resistance. He nodded devotedly and felt tension drop in Herbert's body. But there was still one thing he couldn't understand.

"Why don't you prevent this?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well – you said Kadir was not as apathetic as the other vampires, because he did administration for you, because he had a task. Wouldn't it be exactly these vampires challenging their masters?" he wondered, thinking not only of the count, but also all the other vampire lords he met yet. "Why even suffer such vampires? You try very hard right now to teach me emotions. Am I not a potential danger to your father and you make me one?"

"Firstly: It's not only the – let's say more civilized vampires to challenge their lords for power. But you're not wrong – usually it is them. But still – you can't lead a social life with those vampires on the graveyard. Admittedly, Father and I have each other for company, but you get bored by just one companion after centuries. We need other interlocutors, too. Even if that means danger provoking your own downfall."

Alfred nodded. He understood what Herbert tried to say. But now he decided to not worry tonight anymore. He looked at Herbert expectantly, thinking he could feel the other vampire's unrest already. "So, what will we do now with the rest of this night?"

Herbert grinned. "Oh, I can think of many things," he whispered back, kissing him gently on his temple.

"I think it's really cold in here and it will take some time until the fire has heated the room up... What about a bath?"

Herbert pulled a face and it was clear how much he liked that idea – that is to say, not at all. Alfred was confused – he had won the impression that there was nothing better in the world for Herbert than a bath. Herbert felt Alfred's irritation (and disappointment?) and explained: "Robert's townhouse might be quite cozy, but you won't find a modern bathroom here. Just a wooden tub, down in the kitchen. I prefer to wait a little longer and take a bath in a real tub."

"Oh – well, to be honest, I have had it with wooden tubs. So, what then?"

Herbert placed a hand on Alfred's cheek and turned his face toward himself. "I know how to get warm," he whispered and kissed these soft lips, tasting the flavor of Alfred's tongue again. He just couldn't get enough of it.

Alfred shrugged his shoulders inwardly. Well – if Herbert couldn't wait any longer. Obviously, he didn't care about freezing. He kissed Herbert back, fumbling around with the prince's shirt. He found that he was quite good at unbuttoning it. As soon as the last button was opened, he let his hands glide over Herbert's hard breast, hips, and back, pulling Herbert ever closer.

Herbert sighed softly when he felt Alfred's hands on his skin. Never before had one of his consorts taken lead so soon. But his Chéri was right with one thing: It was damn cold in this room. But Herbert knew how to find a way. Slowly he rose, pulling the young vampire along with him. With one hand, he groped behind his back for the bedclothes, throwing the two thick sheets in front of the fireplace.

Alfred watched him bemusedly, recognizing Herbert's plan, which he found excellent. Softly, he broke away from Herbert, going over to the fireplace in order to adjust the sheets. Then he kicked off his shoes, knelt down on the sheets, looking up at Herbert expectantly. He didn't know if he should undress – or if Herbert wanted to do that part for him.

Herbert gazed at him with a look Alfred could not interpret. But it seemed to light a fire inside him. Slowly the prince came nearer, the open, dark-red shirt hung loosely at his shoulders, revealing a flawless ivory-colored breast. Delicately defined muscles showed under his skin. The black, tight pants were distinctly baggy at the crotch. Alfred realized his mouth had gone dry by this sight. He couldn't help but thinking that the prince was beautiful.

Carelessly, Herbert got rid of his shoes by stepping himself on the heels and finally knelt down to Alfred. He slowly opened the younger's shirt, pulling it over his shoulders. He then laid his hands on Alfred's hips, pulling him closer, leaning into an intense kiss.

While Herbert's kisses wandered from Alfred's mouth via the neck to his breast, he gently pushed Alfred back until he lay on his back. The lower Herbert's lips wandered, the stronger the shivers running through Alfred's whole body became. He felt his trousers getting too tight and wished for Herbert to touch him like he did in Baptiste's bathroom.

As if Herbert had heard Alfred's wish, he opened the pants now, pulling out his manhood. Alfred groaned and let his head fall back on the sheet, closing his eyes in relish when the prince's fingers closed gently, yet firmly around him. He opened them again when he felt something wet – unbelieving, he watched Herbert, superior to him not only in means of vampire ranks, but also by usual society rules, pleasing him with his mouth. His desire grew as the pleasure flooded his body. Never had he felt something that compared to this.

Herbert was overjoyed. Not only could he finally indulge this special part of Alfred, exploring it with his tongue, he was also enthusiastic about his lover's reaction. The hardness of Alfred's member was only one indicator of his extreme arousal, along with a face shining with bliss.

All of this only increased his own longing for this young man and Herbert felt like he could wait not one second longer. So he paused his indulging Alfred and pulled his pants off. Now his Chéri lay completely naked in the shine of the fire. How beautiful he was. Herbert rose to get rid of his own trousers and shirt, throwing them onto the bed.

Alfred needed a moment to recover when Herbert broke loose from him. Everything in him screamed for Herbert to keep on doing what he did. He watched the elder vampire undress and regarded, for the first time, an erect penis – and as far as he could tell it, he liked the looks of it. It definitely didn't repel him. Then he felt the wish to follow Herbert's lead and please him exactly as he did him. So he knelt before the prince, who just turned around to him after throwing his cloth on the bed, curiously letting his tongue glide over the hard flesh.

For a moment, he thought Herbert would collapse on him, but the prince rallied again, leaning his head back, placing his hands on Alfred's hair to show him to continue. And Alfred did the best he could to indulge his consort.

Like the surf crashing on the shore, the flames shot through Herbert's body, starting from the point that his Chéri was licking and kissing while his green eyes flashed at him. Not long and Herbert knew it would be over before it even got started. So he pushed Alfred gently away and gestured for him to show him his back, grabbing him by the hips. He moistened two fingers to start preparing Alfred.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Some time later, both were lying sweaty and exhausted on the sheets, idly caressing the other one's skin. Deeply felt satisfaction filled them both while the echoes of their lust still rang in their bodies.

It had been a sharp pain when Herbert had finally come to him, but it had subsided quickly and the strange pressure soon had turned to blissful ecstasy.

Herbert had finally reached paradise. They matched just perfectly. He had been astounded at how quick Alfred had come over the pain – after all he had felt it as if it was his own. And then he had also felt his Chéri's responsive reaction, felt his pleasure, increasing by this his own – it was mind-boggling how the bond of blood added to this act. He had been both in one – dominant and sub-dominant, active and passive. He had known he wouldn't be able to stand for long, because of this new experience.

When Alfred had presented him his neck, unconsciously for sure, instinctively, Herbert reacted at once. Greedy had he licked his tongue over the no longer pulsing carotid, plunging his teeth into it in the next moment. Alfred's taste filled his mouth and Herbert drank a few big gulps without hesitation, since Alfred had fed quite enough during the previous nights. When he released his neck, the small wound closed within the blink of an eye.

Alfred had gasped startled, when he had felt the stinging pain in his neck. But only a split second later he felt the erotic effect, that this among vampires most intimate tenderness, had on him.

When Herbert had finally found release inside him, Alfred still was extremely aroused. Spontaneously the prince had decided, that Alfred was worthy of receiving something, that only very few men ever had gotten – him. With a little help of Herbert Alfred found his way into blissful oblivion.

Now Alfred lay in Herbert's arms, wondering if it would feel the same with a woman. But no matter how, a woman could never give him what Herbert had. "That was wonderful," Alfred finally croaked.

Herbert only smiled. He was completely happy. All of his hopes seemed to have come true. He believed Alfred's words to be true; after all, he could rule out a pretense – he would have felt it. Finally he didn't have to rely on his consort telling the truth.

"You know," Alfred added, after stealing another kiss from Herbert's lips, "in the beginning, I only agreed because I didn't want to end up on this cemetery."

Herbert sighed softly. He knew that. It has always been the first reason for everyone. But still, this sentence didn't trouble him – he recognized the use of past-tense in it. He answered: "Maybe you'll be angry with me, because I tell you after I got what I wanted from you, but you really don't have to fear that cemetery ever again. We share a bond of blood, I feel what you feel. Do you really think I would like you to vegetate among these emotionless creatures there?"

Herbert felt amusement via the blood-connection. Alfred looked at him with the cheeky look he had learned to love already. "I know," he simply said, bedding his head back on Herbert's shoulder.

It was true. Alfred, being nobody's fool, had been completely aware of the effects of their bond of blood quite early after learning about it. He had known he wouldn't have to rely on their bargain anymore to escape that graveyard. But he had chased these thoughts far away. It had been easier to pretend to have to endure Herbert's tenderness, getting over his subliminal fears and acquired views. But now he knew he wouldn't need this pretense any longer. Herbert could have him as often as he would.

Herbert also understood what Alfred tried to tell him with these two small words. Tears of joy welled up in his eyes. He pulled Alfred even closer to him, kissing him on his blond locks. "You are so special, Chéri. I want to see you, feel you, understand you like I never did another man before. You have no idea how happy I am that you possibly want the same."

Alfred answered with another kiss. He didn't want to make any promises concerning his emotions. For the truth of it, he knew them as well as the Swiss Alps at the moment. But still Herbert's words had sent warmth through his body and he was grateful for them.

After that, they spoke no more. They were simply content in being in the company of the other one, feeling his naked skin. When exhaustion turned to tiredness, they grudgingly moved over to the bed. They didn't want to move at all (and Alfred noticed moving somehow hurt), but both wanted to be covered with something while sleeping and since they lay on those blankets, they had to move. But seconds later they lay in the bed, snuggling into one another, falling asleep within only a few minutes.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"WAKE UP!"

A shout ripped Alfred out of sleep. He had difficulties getting awake; tiredness seemed to press his eyelids down. Wasn't it time for rest? Why was Herbert still awake?

"Alfred, please, wake up!" The panic in Herbert's voice helped. Finally Alfred managed to open his eyes. Now he saw Herbert putting on his shirt frantically. He was already wearing his pants. Alfred's trousers laid on the bed.

"Whazzup?" Alfred mumbled.

"Come on, put your clothes on. Fire!"

That worked. All at once, Alfred was wide awake. He jumped out of the bed, grabbed his pants and put them on in the blink of an eye.

"Where?" he asked tensely. A look out of the window revealed a disturbing brightness. The sun did not shine yet, but only due to the thick fog over the city.

"In this house or the one beside this," Herbert answered shortly and Alfred stuck his arms through the sleeves of the shirt Herbert was holding to him.

Poorly dressed, they rushed to the door. The glowingly hot door-handle should have been a warning to him, but his brain was still not running at its normal speed. He tore open the door -

and a wall of fire rolled over the two vampires.

TBC